Holly_Morris's Blog

The title of my blog caused you to look... didn't it?!

This past weekend, I was one of the millions who went to see the "Sex & the City" movie. (Let me go ahead and insert a special thanks to my husband who went along with me to view this very apparent chick flick!)

So... did I like it? ABSOLUTELY!

I loved the movie for what it was... two plus hours of entertainment. It was simply more of the story with characters I enjoyed (and shoes I would kill for :0)  

However, I will also say this. You did not have to watch the series to go see and enjoy the movie. Why? Because during the movie, I laughed, I cried, and, most importantly, I walked away grateful for the girlfriends I have. So much so, I went home and emailed my closest group of girlfriends from college and told them how thankful that movie made me for them.

My wish for women everywhere, is that they get to experience and treasure the gift that good girlfriends truly are.  

LA is buzzing .... it's game one of the Lakers - Spurs series at the Staples Center. Meanwhile, directly across the street at the Nokia Theater... a new American Idol is about to be crowned!!! Gridlock aside..  is there any better place on the face of this Earth to be??

I can honestly tell you that I can't remember the last time there was this much excitement surrounding a final. And that's probably because, we literally do not know who is going to win. I know Archuleta brought the house down last night and if you base it on Tuesday night's performances alone, he should and would win. But that's the thing.... American Idol voting is way more convaluted than that.

Vegas odds did a 180 between yesterday and today. Tuesday... Cook was the overwhelming favorite. Wednesday... David A. is the odds on favorite by a pretty good margin. And I will tell you, most people we talked to out here today said little David should take the title.

But Dial-Idol.com (the website that measures busy signals) says Cook will win hands down. Plus there is conspiracy talk that because Simon was so harsh against Cook, fans went out of their way to vote multiple times. Plus, one other article I read said... Cook will win because Idol needs him to win... because he will sell records more than Archuleta and Idol needs a bonafide star to win (ie not another Taylor Hicks)

So what do you think?

Also... I got word on finale stars performing tonight.... George Michael, Seal, Mike Myers, Carrie Underwood, Bryan Adams, ZZ top, the Jonas Brothers, Jordin Sparks.... just to name a few.

Who would you like to see perform tonight? The all time best for me, remains to be Prince during the Season 5 finale. In my opinion, that would be hard to top.

 

 

 

The Tuesday idol buzz here in LA is all about the pressure. Word is both Davids are feeling not just a little, but a lot overwhelmed.

They are going non-stop working 15-16 hours a day. They have to learn 3 songs for tonight's competition. But in addition to that, they have to learn 5 or 6 more (complete with choreography) for tomorrow night's finale. Not to mention, the interviews, photo shoots, style consultations, etc.

We haven't had access to either David, but we did see quite a few of the other top 12 finalists yesterday. We caught them in between rehearsals and they too looked VERY tired (and they all said they were). They also, however, said the finale is going to be off the hook! And that we should expect some really great surprises!!! Right now we do know that Carrie Underwood and the Jonas Brothers will be performing.

But before we get to tomorrow's hoopla, we have to get through tonight's showdown. We know that David Archaletta (nicknamed out here "Archie" to distinguish between the two) will be singing "Imagine" and that David Cook will be singing U2's "I still haven't found what I'm looking for". The other 2 songs each will sing... still a secret!  We also know that Ruben Studdard is going to perform tonight "Celebrate Me Home".

The word on who will win? The standing joke... "it will definitely be David". But according to my sources, the early lead goes to Cook. Apparently, his fan base is strong with 52 percent of this years viewers being 35 and older (Cook's demographic). Archie, however, is huge with the teens and tweens and those are the ones who vote early and often! In other words, never underestimate the power of fast and furious texting.

Since it probably really is too close to call... most are saying it truly will come down to their performances tonight... which how exciting is that?! We haven't had a close finale since season 2... the last battle of the boys, Ruben and Clay. So maybe the final showdown alone, will set Idol's ratings soaring once again?  

  

Greetings from La-la land!!! Here we are again, in Los Angeles for yet another American Idol finale. Can you believe we are seven seasons in? Time flies when you are making stars I guess?!

The finales is such an interesting thing. It truly is a reunion of sorts. Many of the idol finalists from years past come back out to let us know they are still out there seeking fame and fortune. It's good to see that some have matured and are indeed making it in some way, shape, or form. Others, however (to be totally honest with you) are a little pathetic. They are doing their best to continue to ride that idol wave and you just want to say.. "you tried,  it's over, now go home."

It is also a reunion of Fox reporters. Reporters from Fox stations from across the nation converge on LA for the finals. Only a few of us have been here for every season. When we see each other, we laugh, hug, and then say "can you believe we are still doing this?" One interesting note about the number of stations here this year. Last year 40 stations sent crews. This year only 27 stations are coming. Hmmm.... what does that say?

No matter what, the fact is, on average, 27 million people watched American Idol each week this season. That's a lot of fans! And a lot of people interested in seeing whether David Cook or David Archaletta take home the crown this week. American Idol is a cultural phenomenon that cannot be denied and we love being in the middle of the mix!

 

Jordin, Blake, Melinda, Lakisha, Phil, Chris... what would you ask them if you got the chance? Well, I am going to do my best to give you the opportunity and here's how:

I am heading to Hollywood next week to cover the American Idol finals. There is a good bet, while I am there that I will run into your favorites from season 6. (at least the top 12 as they usually participate in the idol finale). Send me your questions and I will do my best to get the answers from the contestants themselves.

Have a question for Simon, Randy, Paula, or Ryan? I will attempt to catch up with them too!

I have covered every American Idol Final since the madness all began in 2001... I welcome the help in getting the real scoop on this season!

Jordin, Blake, Melinda, Lakisha, Phil, Chris..... what would you ask them if you got the chance? Well, I am going to do my best to give you that opportunity and here's how:

I am heading out to Hollywood next week to cover the American Idol finals. While I am there, there is a good chance I will run into many of the season 6 contestants (at least, the top 12 as they usually participate in the finale). Send me your question and if I can, I will get the answer for you from the contestants themselves!

Have a question for Simon, Randy, Paula or Ryan? I'll do my best to get to them too!

I have covered every single American Idol final since the madness all began in 2001... so I welcome the help in getting the real scoop on this season!

  

 

    

I was in LA the end of last week to interview the Top 24 for American Idol. The coveted list will be announced Wednesday night and yes.... I have been sworn to secrecy until then.

But I can talk about someone you already know from American Idol... the reigning Idol.... Taylor Hicks!!

Idol has done him well as Taylor is about ready to start his tour.... a tour that brings him to the Birchmere in Alexandria on April 15. His first CD which just came out not that long ago... has already gone platinum. He also has a book coming out in June.

He has also followed in the footsteps of Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood in that he has slimmed down and polished his look. He was succinct and practiced in his interviews yet his soulful charm still came through.

One of the things I liked about Taylor last year when he was in the midst of the Idol mania was that he genuinely was about his music. You could tell that was his real passion. If he became a superstar... great. But if he did not, that would be ok too because he would still be doing what he loved best... his music.

I am happy to say, after one year of Idol super stardom, Taylor was still true to his roots and as humble as ever.

So on that note... I will stay true to mine and happily continue to refer to myself as a Hicks' chick!!

 

 

 

 

But do we want to? While searching the news wires today, I found Paris Hilton making headlines once again.

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From the AP: Two nightclubs known as Club Paris will no longer be associated with their namesake -- Paris Hilton, according to the club's owner. Fred Khalilian said he "fired" the hotel heiress because she has failed to attend scheduled appearances at the location in downtown Orlando. The troubles started two years ago when Hilton showed up six hours late for the grand opening, Khalilian said.

"She's created a circus for herself," he said. "It's all
about: How has she screwed up now?" Khalilian does not want to change the name of the Orlando club, or one opened in Jacksonville last year, because he said the name
is so well known. Instead of Club Paris representing Hilton, it will stand for the city, Khalilian said.

He plans to hold a competition to find the new face of his
clubs. Hilton's spokesman Elliot Mintz told The Associated Press that neither he nor the 25-year-old Hilton have been contacted by Khalilian.

"I'm certainly disappointed to learn of Fred's unfortunate
comments." Mintz said. "We shall address his statements at the
appropriate time."
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Okay.... so what exactly is the infatuation with Paris Hilton? She is simply famous for being famous. I don't get it. How her name continues to be in the news is mindboggling to me. Why do people care what she's doing, who she's dating, what she's wearing, etc.? Can someone please explain it to me?

Last Sunday I had what some would say is a prime assignment. I was sent to FedEx field to cover tailgating. Now, the fact it was the Redskins - Cowboys game means tailgating (already an art form among Skins fans) would be the ultimate fan experience.

Beef tenderloin, homemade chili, beer, crab dip, chocolate brownies, beer, wings, shrimp,... and did I mention beer? Needless to say, fans pulled out all the stops. The spirit and the spirits were flowing!

But what made this particular day of tailgating such a big deal... was not the fact that the Skins were playing their arch rival. It was that Fox's own Rachael Ray was coming to tailgate along with the fans! That's right, one of the country's most popular and perkiest cooking gurus was going to be sharing and tasting! (and shooting footage for one of her upcoming shows)

When fans heard Rachael Ray was going to be there, they went nuts! They were so excited they couldn't stand it! They made sure all their goodies and grub wasn't gobbled up before she got there. They had their camera phones in hand ready to capture the moment.

And so when she did get there????..... I have to tell you she seemed less than thrilled to be there. Now, in her defense, she had flown a red eye in from LA to New York and then caught a plane from New York to DC. So I am sure she was very tired. Once she got going, she did mingle with the fans and try a few dishes. In all honesty, I think she was kind of overwhelmed at how serious skins fans are about their tailgating and told her producer, after about, 15 minutes, she was ready to go.

So why am I telling you this? Not to change your opinion about Rachael Ray. We all have bad days. And I do think she is great at what she does (I have one or her cookbooks myself) But if you saw the Country Music Awards last night... then you saw Faith Hill's reaction to Carrie Underwood winning Female Vocalist of the Year (and Faith not). It was less than flattering. In fact, it made her look like a total diva bitter at the young up and coming star. Now prior to seeing that, I adored Faith Hill.

So with the Faith fiasco so closely following my time with Rachael Ray... I started thinking....
are celebrities really who we think they are?
Is their public image.. simply an image?
How much responsibility do they have in keeping with the image that has earned them so much popularity?
Are our expectations too high when it comes to celebrities?
Aren't they just real people too... they have bad days, tired days, days when they are disappointed, days when they get angry because they didn't get something they feel like they deserved?

Let me know what you think!

Have you ever wondered what you would do if you didn't have to work? Come on... we have all thought about it. Well, the answer for me would be .... travel! I absolutely love to go and see knew places and meet new people (probably why I am so suited for my job... since that is what I do on a small scale basis daily)

Recently though, I got to do it on a large scale basis. For the first time in 10 years I took two consecutive weeks off! The length of my vacation afforded me the chance for a European jaunt. I spent a week in France and a week in Italy.

I won't bore you with all the details right now except to say I LOVED IT! My itinerary included Paris, the Loire Valley, Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast. Each place was fabulous and decidedly different.

Where did I stay? What did I see? What did I like the best? And what would I do differently if I were to go again? The answers to all of those questions will come in my future blogs. And that is because, I have always gotten my best travel tips from word of mouth.

So here's the deal... I promise to give yoy my travel secrets and opinions... if you give me yours so that we all can continue to explore this great world of ours... even if it's only a few weeks a year when we get vacation :0)